In a recent workshop I asked participants to write down all the grumpy thoughts they were having about the prospect of writing a Knowledge Mobilization plan (aka Pathways to Impact statement in the UK). I collected these and put them aside while we got on with a more positive approach. I want to return to […]
Read More »Good enough?
Does something have to be finished to publish? Doesn’t publishing something that is “good enough” but “not quite finished” suggest that you are lowering your standards? What about “excellence”? Back in 2009, I attended a production of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Belle Moral. The author’s note in the program caught my attention, especially the part of which […]
Read More »The goal & what you can do
This post is part of an occasional series about how yoga influences how I work with clients. I don’t expect you to do yoga. You don’t even have to attempt the pose I’m going to talk about. Ever. In your whole life. The point of this series is that yoga has taught me some interesting […]
Read More »Does it matter for tenure whether you’ve published from the PhD?
Recently, I received this query: Hi Jo, I’ve been trying to publish my dissertation for a while now since completing it 7 years ago. The manuscript has been rejected twice and reviewers have noted that the data is too dated. My question is should I keep trying or just let it go? I am applying […]
Read More »The best argument I’ve heard for Open Access publishing
Global reach. It has recently come to my attention that there are all sorts of academics out there that don’t read your academic articles either. (HT @ernestopriego) They are your audience. They are engaged in the academic debates that you are engaged in. And they can’t get access to your articles because the funding situation in their institution is even worse than it is wherever you are.
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What yoga has taught me about life, writing, and work
I practice yoga. And it occurred to me recently that yoga really influences how I work with clients. Your post-Enlightenment self has probably put yoga in a box with running, weight training, pilates, and aerobics. And I suspect some yoga classes are like that. I’ve been fortunate to have taken yoga classes with folks who […]
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Email is not urgent
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Email is not urgent Do not start an email with this sentence or any variation on it: “Sorry for the delay in replying” You are busy. Your inbox gets full. Sometimes it takes a while to get back to people. Sometimes you miss something and notice it 2 weeks […]
Read More »Criticism & perfectionism
One of my favorite quotes is by Samuel Silas Curry, a turn of the century speech teacher, “There is nothing so encouraging as good criticism.” He goes on to say that good criticism simply compares the actual with the ideal. Vicky@collegeparentcentral commenting on my post Confidence in the Face of Criticism Thank you for sharing […]
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Confidence in the face of criticism
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Confidence in the face of criticism I received a request via Twitter DM. Have u any tips on academic speaking eg @ q & a time @ conferences. How can I gain confidence and speak with conviction in the face of criticism? As it happens I do have thoughts […]
Read More »Tough decisions: turning down a job offer
Sometimes I help clients decide whether to turn down a job. Yes, that’s right. Even in this tough labour market some of my clients are deciding not to take jobs. These aren’t easy choices to make. I’ve written before about how you are not desperate. That post focused on applying for the right jobs. What […]
Read More »Making sense of the cuts
There has been a lot of head shaking, confusion and anger in the wake of the recent Canadian federal budget. Academics value evidence, reason, and rational argument. The cuts just don’t make sense. What happens if we turn the question around? How do we make sense of what appear to be nonsensical policies? The Conservative […]
Read More »Just because it doesn’t feel productive…
A couple of my clients are working on writing projects right now. And some weeks, their updates are less than enthusiastic. They are discouraged by their progress.
Here’s a different angle on reading that doesn’t feel like real research.
You might spend a lot of time reading with a particular project in mind only to discover that nothing you read is going to end up in what you are writing.
Although that feels like you wasted several hours reading stuff you didn’t need to read, it was actually time well spent.
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